Feed-regulator for concrete-mixers.



F. V. MODONALD. FEED REGULATOR FOR oonomm mxnns.

APPLICATION IILBD OUT. 29, 1907.

Patented Dec. 13,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mimmumlllll F. v. MQDONALD. FEED REGULATOR FOR CONCRETE MIXEBS.

APPLICATION P ILED OUT. 29, 1907.

13 SHEETS-BEBE! 8.

Patented Dea l3 RV. MoDONALD'.

rm) REGULATOR r011 GONOBETB MIXEBB.

APPLICATION TILED 001. 29, 1907.

Patented Dec. 13

1910. a SHBE'i'Q-BHEETB.

FRANK V. MCDONALD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. I

FEED-REGULATOR FOR CON GRETE-MIXERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 29, 1907. Serial No. 399,754.-

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK V. MCDONALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Feed-Regulators for Concrete-Mixers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a feed regulator for concrete mixing machines, and it is the object of my invention to provide a simple and inexpensive mechanism that will effi-' ciently and effectually regulate the feed of a concrete mixing machine so that the ingredients of which the finished concrete is composed will be fed continuously and accurately thereto;

Figure 1,is a side elevation of my improved mixer. Fig. 2,-is a longitudinal section. of the same taken on line 2- 2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3,-is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4,is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5,is a horizontal section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6,is a cross section of the mixing drum taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings 10 designates a suitable frame upon which the mechanism of my mixer is mounted and which is substantially rectangular in form, being constructed of angle irons with flat iron braces as shown. This frame is illustrated mounted on a base 11 which is shown in'Fig. 1 as being supported by wheels 12. This arrangement may or may not be used according as the device is wished to be made portable or stationary.

In the upper part of the frame and at one end thereof is,mounted a composite hopper 13 which is divided into threediiferent compartments adapted to hold cement, gravel and sand, respectively. The whole hopper is constructed of sheet metal and compgiscs a I central cement hopper 14 which is triangular in plan as shown in Fig. 3. On each side and I in front of hopper 14 are hoppers 15 and 16 for gravel and sand respectively, the left hand end of theframe being designated the.

hold a suitably large quantity of cement, it being designed that the cement hopper is not to be filled except at comparatively long intervals The sand and gravel hoppers are constructed as shown in Fig. 1 with a down wardly sloping openin so that sand and gravel may be thrown into them from the front and sides of the machine, these hoppers being designed to be filled continuously as the mixing of the concrete proceeds and therefore to hold only a small amount of the material. Hoppers 15 and 16 are provided with inwardly sloping curved sides 17 as shown in Fig. 4 and with front walls 18 which slope at a considerable angle as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The two hoppers are divided from each other by cement hopper 14 and by a partition 19 which extends from the front wall 18 of the sand and gravel hoppers to hopper 14 and thus completes the division between the two hoppers.

All three hoppers are bottomless and a belt 20 mounted on rollers 21 and supported by a third roller 22 is ada ted to be moved in the direction indicate by the arrows closely under the bottom of the side walls of the hoppers. Each of the hoppers is provided with a gate in its front wall adapted to allow the passage out of the hoppers of the .materials therein in relative amounts which are regulated by the height to which the gates are raised. Front wall 23 of hopper 14 is provided with an opening 24 which extends upwardly from the bottom of the wall a suitable distance. A vertically movable gate 25 is adapted to close this opening and to regulate the amount of material passing therethrough by its position in partially closing the same. The front wall of the 110 per is provided with a slot 26 in which'a'bo t 27 secured to gate 25 is adapted to more ventically. Bolt 27 is provided with a thumb iiut 28 by means of which the gate may be set in any desired position so as to open aperture 24 by any desired amount.

Front wall 30 of hoppers l5 and 16' is provided with a large aperture 29 as shown in Fig. 4 which extends on both sides of aperture 24 in front wall 23 of hopper 14. The ,lower end of hopper 14 divides aperture 29 into two parts one of which con'nnunicates with hopper c and the other with hopper 16.

Each of these openings is provided with 'af gate 31 which is similar in construction to gate for hopper ll. As shown in Fig. 2 front wall 93 of hopper 1-1 1s placed directly behind front wall of hoppers 13 and 16 so that gates 31 are out of line with gate 25 by the thlckness of the front wall of hopper 14,

- any desired amount ofmaterial from the individual hoppers onto, belt 20 by regulating the amount by which the gates of those hoppers are opened. To carry the material out of the hoppers belt 20 is move 1- in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2 by the rotation of rollers 21, over which the belt passes. The central part of belt 20 is supported by roller which journaled on blocks 22 which are mounted on frame 10. Rear drum 21 is mounted on a shaft which journaled in bearings 36 mounted on a cross frame 37 which is secured to frame 10-. Shaft 55 carries a sprocket wheel 38.011 one end which engages with a sprocket chain 39 passing over a sprocket wheel -10 mounted on operating shaft 11 of the machine. Shaft 41 is mounted in bearing 42 secured to a longitudinal rectangular frame 43' which forms a part of mainframe of the machine. By the "rotation of crank eta which is secured to shaft 41 belt 20 may be moved in the direction indicated to feed the contents of the hoppers into a short chute %5 supported from blocks 22 directly below and behind the discharge point of belt 20 where it passes over roller 21. Chute 45 leads downwardly-from the discharge point of belt'QO and discharges the material throetvn onto it- 1nto a mixing drum 4.6 which is revolubly mounted on frame 43 and cross frame 37. The eonstrucoughly' mixed in 'lalling back toward the bottom. (.-asing H is provided on each end and [nits center with an inwardly extending flange 53. the llanges in the center and on the lowehend being wider than the one on the upper end so that the material-* is lflept" fronr iassin immediate] throu hthe drum bcfOT -T: it has been agitated sufficiently to insure a thorough mixture thereof. tter a sufficient amount of material has been-accmnulated in the lower end of the mixing drum, the mixture begins to fall from the drum intoany convenient receptacle which is'placed below the lower end of the same.

Mounted on the lower end of frame is a water supply pipe 54 which is bent atright angles to extend into the lower end of the drum as. at 55. The end of portion 55 is perforated to allow the water which is supplied through a hose 56 to be distributed over the materlal which is being mixed n1 the lower end of the drum and thus to wet the same sufficiently for the particular use for which the concrete is intended. amount of water fed through pipe 5* is adapted to be rcgulated'by valve 57, on the pipe so'that the wetness of the finished concrete mixture maybe regulated as desired.

Around drum 46 and near itscenter a bevon operating shaft 41. Thus it will be seen that when crank 44 is turned to operate the The I feeding apparatus the drum is also rotated to mix the materials which are fed into it. From the foregoing description it. will be observed that I have irovlded a concrete n'iixer which may be operated continuously to mix concrete of any desired proportions of ingredients. The amount of material which is supplied to the mixing drum may beac curately controlled by means of the adjustable gates whilethe quantity of water which is used to wet the mixture may also be controlled to produce the, exact wetness desired in the finished mixture. v d On account of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the sand andgravel hoppers it will be seen that they may be conveniently filled. as the mixing operation proceeds, from piles of sand and gravel which have been previously dumped upon the ground and that the machine maybe moved from time to time to be kept in proxsame are utilized.

l-Iaving described my invention what I- each compartment of the rectangular con-- imity to the sand and gravel piles as the tainer being provided with outlet openings have hereunto subscribed 'iny name this 215', which are arranged 'in such manner as to day of October, 1907. discharge the contents of each container upon a separate zone of said feed belt and a 4 I FRANK MCDONALD controlling gate for each of said discharge Witnesses:

' openin s. Tmmnm BARKELEW,

In witness that I claim the foregoing I, OLLm PALMER; 

